DOCTOR BIDS FOR AREA SEAT IN CONGRESS; PSYCHIATRIST INTENDS TO CHALLENGE MCKEON.

Byline: Angela M. Lemire Staff Writer

Voter apathy and weak or no Democratic representation in past campaigns prompted Sid Gold to run for the 25th Congressional District seat historically held by a Republican - his first try for public office.

Add to that to his impending retirement and his experiences helping others on campaign trails for offices ranging from a state Assembly seat to the presidency - in President Clinton's 1992 bid - and Dr. Sidney Gold felt the time was right to toss his own hat into the ring.

``I'd become more aware of the disconnect of the people to politics and the apathy of voters,'' said Gold, 62, a Granada Hills resident of 25 years and assistant chief of psychiatry for Kaiser Permanente's Valley Service Area.

It was also disheartening, he said, to have no Democratic candidate in the 1998 race against Republican Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, who has held the congressional seat since new district boundaries were formed in 1992.

``I wouldn't run if I didn't think I had a chance,'' Gold said. ``What I have learned is that if you do have something worthy to say or do, you can get a lot done in politics.''

McKeon could not be reached for comment. His spokesman, David Foy, said the congressman wishes Gold well in the race and takes all candidates very seriously.

Knowing that he faces a candidate with strong political roots in the Santa Clarita Valley, Gold expects a lengthy campaign - one that will involve aggressive voter registration drives and tirelessly knocking on doors and walking the neighborhoods.

``The people are going to see my face as much as I can get it out there,'' he said. ``I enjoy meeting the people and listening to what they have to say. . . . I want to represent the individual person, not just big business.''

Gold also aims to use one-on-one talks to get his platform out to the people.

Because the 25th Congressional District includes a portion of the San Fernando Valley, as well as the entire Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys, he plans three separate campaigns.

``There are separate issues in each of the valleys that are different in importance to the people,'' Gold said. ``In Santa Clarita, the growth issues have a tremendous amount of impact on education and the environment.''

In the San Fernando Valley portion of the district, he said, Medicare and Social Security issues are major concerns to voters.

His concerns in the Antelope Valley are cracking down on crime, improving the highway system, expanding Palmdale Airport and providing high-speed rail access, he said.

His districtwide campaign concerns are family-related, he said. He and his wife, Florence, have been married for 32 years and raised four children.

He said he wants more federal money for education and better pay for teachers in the district.

As a physician and delegate to state and national medical associations, he wants a federal Patients' Bill of Rights that would better protect patient-doctor relationships.

``Just like water and gas, we need medical care,'' he said. He thinks it would be appropriate for the federal government to adopt some regulations for the medical industry as it has done for utility companies.

``The product - in this case, the treatment - should be delivered to the patient first, and shouldn't go directly to the bottom line,'' said Gold.

He doesn't want a single, government-controlled health care industry, he said, but some freedom of competition.

Still 1-1/2 years from the November 2000 election, Gold said he has not yet projected a total campaign budget but pledges to steer clear of ``soft money'' that circumvents campaign fund-raising limits. He said he is also pushing for campaign reform.

Although Gold has made no previous run for public office, he has long worked behind the scenes for Democratic candidates.

A Granada Hills resident for 25 years, he has served as president of the North Valley Democratic Club since 1998. In 1998, he was named Democrat of the Year in the 38th Assembly District.

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